“This is what the LORD says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
Isaiah 44:6
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Revelation 22:13
I love a good before and after. That is probably why I can sit and watch endless episodes of Chip and Joe on HGTV. Watching the two of them transform a house is incredible and awe-inspiring. Or cooking shows, I love watching a chef go from the before, with 10 or so individual ingredients to a final finished scrumpsish dish. Or, weightless transformations, the before and after pictures are amazing. Or finally, first and last day of school pics. Of course this school year is ending in a way that no person could have predicted so we may not see as many of the photos, but the transformation of a child from the first day of school to the last is always dramatic.
What about God? How is He the first and the last? The beginning and the end? Have you read the Bible all the way through and seen the transformation from living by the Law to the freedom of a Savior? It is incredible!
God is eternal. God is the start of it all. He is the Alpha, which is the first letter in the Greek alphabet. And God is the end of it all, the Omega, the last letter.
Since we know that we are far past the beginning of time and because we see that the end has not yet come, then we must live in the meantime, the present. This means that you and I get to play our parts in God’s great plan.
In the end, it is all about Jesus. It always has been about Jesus. It always will be about Jesus.
The Bible begins with Jesus.
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
The Bible also ends with Jesus:
‘I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End’
Revelation 22:13
The first 5 verses of Revelation chapter 22 tell us how the world will be in the last days. The language is figurative, so it is not an exact description, but it is full of images of life and blessing. The Bible begins and ends with a garden, symbolizing God’s life of blessing and his good plan for his people.
The Bible is one long invitation to come to Jesus. In him, you find the meaning and purpose of your life. Part of that purpose is to invite others to come, so that they too will find refreshment and fulfillment in the water of life that Jesus pours out on all who come to him.
God is the before, the now, and the forever after. He will never end and never leave us. He is the only constant within our lives. He is the only constant beyond our lives.